1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to a support structure for a circuit substrate of electronic components. Particularly the present invention relates to a support structure for a circuit substrate applicable to electronic components such as microfloppy disc drives, for stably retaining the substrate for resisting stress applied thereto especially during the insertion or removal of a connecting plug.
2. Description of The Background Art
Conventionally, in such electronic components as microfloppy disc drives, or other components which require external connection, chassis design calls for a connector to be provided so as to be accessible for inserting a plug to connect the unit to other components in a system. Conventionally and conveniently, the connector is usually located on a rear section of the unit. The connector thus usually protrudes from the back of the unit when installed.
For clarity, the structure of a conventional unit will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
To facilitate connection, a connector 5 must be mounted facing away from the main chassis 2 of the unit, and is installed on a strip of the substrate 1 which protrudes outside of the main chassis. The main chassis is secured to the substrate by a screw 3. The main chassis is then covered with a shell, or shield case 6, which then comprises the top and sides of the unit. The connector 5 is therefore located at a position between the protruding substrate and the rear wall of the cover. The rear wall of the cover does not cover the entire rear of the unit but rather, covers only an upper section thereof to leave space for a plug to access the connector.
According to the above construction a drawback therefore arises in that a gap G remains between a top surface of the connector 5 and the lower edge of the rear wall of the shield case 6. This gap leads to a certain amount of play being present in the finished unit and, due to the flexibility of the substrate 1, the substrate 1 is subjected to bending stress when a plug 4 is inserted into, or removed from, the connector 5. This bending stress is applied particularly in a direction A, as shown in FIG. 2. This situation can easily lead to breakage and/or malfunction of delicate electronic circuits on the substrate 1. However, to manufacture and assemble such units to exact tolerances which would prevent the formation of such a gap is time consuming and expensive.